Multiple band needle holdinq device for knitting machines



Aug. 27, 1929. E. u. AMES 7 1,726,255

MULTIPLE BAND NEEDLE HOLDING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR.

Elmer (IAmes.

A TTORNE Y.

E. U. AMES Aug. 27, 1929.

IULTIPLE BAND NEEDLE HOLDING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MCHINES Filed Nov. 15. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR. Elma-r HAmas A TTORNE Y.

Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITED STATES max 5 PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER U. AMES, OF COLLINGSWOOD, NEW JERSEY; CAMDEN SAFE DEPOSIT AND TRUST 00., EXECUTOR OF SAID ELMER U. AMES, DECEASED.

MULTIPLE-BAND-NEEDLE-HOLDING Application filed November My said invention relates to multiple band needle holding devices for knitting machines having independent needles and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as applied to a circular knitting machine, though not necessarily limited to such use. It is an object of my invention to hold each individual needle against outward displacement in the needle bed, and specifically against radial displacement in a needle cylinder, except when positively displaced by satisfactory mechanical means. One 1nstance of mechanical means is illustrated in my co-pending application 96,049, filed March 19, 1926 and showing a trick wheel coacting with parts similar to those illustrated in the accompanying drawings, except that the mechanism of said application raises the needles selectively, whereas in the device as here illustrated the needles are flexed outward selectively for reverse plating as in my co-pending application 25,915, filed April 25, 1925. In previous constructions one or more spring bands have been positioned in grooves surrounding the cylinder, each band engaging all the needles. Such devicesare not satisfactory for use where needles are bent or tilted outward selectively for the reason that the outwardly projected needles force the spring band away from adjacent needles to such an extent that needles not positively projected are left free to tilt outwardly with respect to the needle bed, which is liable to interfere with the results intended to be obtained by selective projection of the needles. This is true even when the fabric is drawn downward by a mechanical take-up since the action of the needle cams on the needle butts tend to tilt the needles outwardly and frequently does so in spite of the action of the take-up.

Referring to the drawings, which are made a part of this application and in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation of a part of a circular knitting machine, partly in section on line 11 of Fig. 9, illustrating the application of my improvements to machines of this type,

Fig. 2, a similar section illustrating certain parts in a different position,

Fig. 3, a fragmentary bottom plan show- DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

15, 1928. Serial No. 319,657.

ing a number of radially slidable needle pressers,

Fig. 4, a similar plan showing one of said pressers in a different position,

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, side elevations of individual pressers,

Fig. 9, an elevation partly in section illustrating the support for the pressers,

Fig. 10, a partial vertical section showing pressers of a modified form,

Fig. 11, a bottom plan of such modification,

Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15, side elevations of individual pressers.

In the drawings, reference character 10 indicates a needle cylinder of conventional form, said needle cylinder having slots for needles 11, actuated in conventional manner by needle cams (not shown). Behind the needles in these slots I have arranged acks 12 whereby the needles may be bent or tilted outward at their upper ends as indicated in Fig. 2 when a jack is raised by a cam such as illustrated in my application 25,915. Jack pressers 13 are arranged in the needle slots in front of the jacks at their lower ends, by means of which the lower ends of the jacks may be selectively bent inward to take their butts out of range of a jack cam (not shown). The jack pressers are held in place by a spring ring 14: of the type commonly used for holding needles in place. A mechanism such as here shown may be utilized for reverse plating and when so used with the ordinary spring ring for holding the needles in place it frequently happens that the needles adjacent to those mechanically projected also tilt outward and act on the yarns in a way to cause the margins of the patterns to be badly defined or to cause the patterns to be irregular. v

To obviate such results I have provided in connection with the conventional sinker ring 15 a circumferential flange 16 having circumferential grooves to receive a series of spring rings 17, 18, 19 and 20, the circumferential grooves being intersected by radial slots indicated at 21 in Figure 9. Needle pressers 22, 23, 24 and 25 are mounted in l the radial slots and these needle pressers as will be seen in Figures 5, 6, 7 and Sare provided with downwardly projecting lugs 26 arranged at different distances from the noses 27 which press against the needle shanks. By appropriately interspersing the differently formed needle pressers, substantially as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, I can arrange so that adjacent pressers are forced inwardly by dii'terent spring rings. This means that if any presser (or series of successive pressers) is forced outward mechanically because of a needle or needles being so forced out, the next adjacent pressers at each side of the presser or pressers so moved will not be left free since'such adja cent pressers are under control of other spring rings, and so they will still maintain their control over their respective needles to prevent projection thereof. Pressers which are identical in that they have lugs arranged at the same distance from the needle cylinder should be located far enough apart in the circle so that when one of them is projected a band drawn over the lug of such needle presser will be tangent to its normal circle at a point between said projected needle presser and the next presser having a lug in the same relative position. The needle pressers adjacent the projected presser will be controlled by a spring band or bands other than the band controlling the projected one and hence will be held firmly against their needles.

In the drawing I have illustrated. four bands and four series of sliding needle pressers, but the number of bands, the number of series of pressers, etc., may obviously be varied according to particular conditions. It will be noticed that the outer and inner spring bands 17 and 20 rest on circumferential series of supports formed by the slots cut through depending parts of the flange 16, such supports being indicated at 28 and 29 in Fig. 9. All the needle pressers are held up by said inner and outer bands, the bands 18 and 19 being supported by the inclined surfaces of lugs 26 on pressers 23 and 24.

Figures 10 to 15 illustrate a modified form of needle presser. The pressers 30, 31, 32 and 33 differ from the form above described in that the means for supporting the spring rings 34 is formed at the outer ends of the pressers, such means consisting of grooves in differently located extensions 35, 36, 37 and 38 on the pressers, and these pressers dilfer from each other in that their extensions are difierently located on the pressers, extensions 35 and 36 being above the body of the presser and extensions 37 and 38 being below said body. In similar manner to that previously described the pressers will be arranged in series such that two identical pressers will be far enough apart to insure that out-ward projection of a needle and its corresponding needle presser will not relieve the pressure of the next similarly shaped presser. Such an arrangement is indicated in Fig. 11.

In this form of the invention a ring 39 is secured to the bottom of the sinker ring by screws 40 passing between certain of the needle pressers, the slots for guiding the pressers being formed in the ring 39 or in the circumferential flange of the sinker ring or in both.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form and arrangement or parts or my device and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said in vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A. knitting machine having a slotted needle bed, independent needles in the slots of the bed, means for selectively projecting needles outwardly, radially movable pressers acting to hold the needles in their bed said pressers being arranged in series and a resilient device for each series acting on the pressers of such series independently of the pressers out the other series to move the needles toward the bottom of their slots, substantially as set forth.

2. A knitting machine having a slotted needle bed, independent needles in the slots of the bed, means for selectively projecting needles outwardly, means individual to the needles tending to hold them in normal position in the bed said means comprising differentiated pressers arranged in a plurality of series, the pressers in each series being similar and being spaced from one another by pressers of other series, and independent means tor each series tending to move the pressers of said series toward the needle bed.

3. A knitting machine having a slotted needle bed, independent needles in the slots of the bed, means for selectively projecting needles outwardly, means'individual to the needles tending to hold them in normal position in the bed said means comprising pressers having depending lugs at various points along their length and arranged in a plurality of series each series comprising similar pressers separated by pressers of other series, and a separate device for each series acting resiliently against said lugs to hold the pressers and their corresponding needles in place.

4. In a circular knitting machine, a slotted needle cylinder, needles in the slots of the cylinder, mechanical means for selectively projecting the needles outwardly, radially movable pressers individual to the needles arranged in a plurality of series the pressers of a series being similar to each other but differentiated from those of other series and interspersed between pressers of said other series, and a resilient ring for each series tending to move the pressers of said series toward the axis of the needle cylinder.

5. In a circular knitting machine, a slotted needle cylinder, needles in the slots of the cylinder, mechanical means for selectively projecting the needles outwardly, radially novable pressers individual to the needles arranged in a plurality of series the pressers of a series being similar to each other but diiferentiated from those of other series and interspersed between pressers of said other series, a resilient ring for each series tending to move the pressers of said series toward the axis of the needle cylinder, and means on the pressers for supporting said resilient rings.

6. A knitting machine having a slotted needle bed, independent needles in the slots of the bed, means individual to the needles tending to hold them in normal position in the bed said means comprising differentiated pressers arranged in a plurality of series, the pressers in each series being similar and being spaced from one another by pressers of other series, and independent means for each series tending to move the pressers of said series toward the needle bed.

7. A knitting machine having a slotted needle bed, independent needles in the slots of the bed, means individual to the needles tending to hold them in normal position in the bed said means comprising pressers having depending lugs at various points along their length and arranged in a plurality of series each series comprising similar pressers separated by pressers of other series, and a separate device for each series acting resiliently against said lugs to hold the pressers and their corresponding needles in place.

8. In a circular knitting machine, a slotted needle cylinder, needles in the slots of the cylinder, radially movable pressers individual to the needles arranged in a plurality of series the pressers of a series being similar to each other but differentiated from those of other series and interspersed between pressers of said other series, and a resilient ring for each series tending to move the pressers of said series toward the axis of the needle cylinder.

9. In a circular knitting machine, a slotted needle cylinder, needles in the slots of the cylinder, radially movable pressers individual to the needles arranged in a plurality of series the pressers of a series being similar to each other but differentiated from those of other series and interspersed between pressers of said other series, a resilient ring for each series tending to move the pressers of said series toward the axis of the needle cylinder, and means on the pressers for supporting said resilient rings.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ELMER U. AMES. 

